ANOTHER CONVICTION IN UMBC CORRUPTION CASE

Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that Andrew M. Reider, 47, of Powhurst Court in Perry Hall, has been convicted of Procurement Fraud, Felony Theft, and Bribery, in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County.

Andrew Reider pled guilty before the Honorable John G. Turnbull, II in connection with his role in orchestrating various criminal schemes from 1998 through 2004, involving construction projects at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). In the court proceedings, Reider, a former Project Manager in UMBC’s Construction Services, admitted that he developed and carried out a scheme to create and submit false and inflated invoices to the University, which resulted in the theft of over $136,000 from UMBC. About half of the stolen funds went to Reider’s benefit, and the other half was used to renovate the home of Reider’s immediate supervisor. At the direction of the same supervisor, Reider directed another scheme to pass through to UMBC over $34,000 in materials for the renovations of the supervisor’s home. Reider also admitted to soliciting bribes from various contractors, including home improvements, mobile phone service, golf outings, and various entertainment expenses. In exchange for these benefits, Reider used his position as a Project Manager to illegally steer UMBC construction projects to various contractors.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 5, 2007, before Judge Turnbull. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Reider could receive up to 2 ½ years of incarceration. Reider is the fifth person to be convicted in Attorney General Curran’s investigation. Joseph Shryock was convicted of Felony Theft, Patrick Sisk was convicted of Bribery and Theft, and Joseph Cheek and Dennis Roberts were both convicted of Bribery. All are awaiting sentencing.

The case was referred by the UMBC Police Department, and investigated by the Attorney General’s Criminal Investigations Division, the Maryland State Police, and the University System of Maryland Internal Audit Office.